Kwame Asiedu works with Action for Childhood and Health in Books for Burkina campaign

A 22-year-old volunteer hopes to fill an empty library in an impoverished West African nation with books for poor and orphaned children.

Kwame Asiedu, 22, from Seven Sisters, Tottenham, has been working with the charity Action for Childhood and Health in Burkina Faso since April.

With three weeks to go, he is appealing for donations for The Books for Burkina campaign which will provide books for a library in the country's capital, Ouagadougou.

Mr Asiedu said the books will be used by many schools and he would be delighted to leave the country in a better position than when he arrived.

He said: “It is inspiring to see children as young as eight years old come to the library in their spare time to read but it is tragic that there are so few books.

"In the UK we take our free education for granted. Here the children want to learn but do not have the opportunity.

“Life is hard for children in Burkina Faso. When most families can only afford to eat one good meal a day, schoolbooks are an unaffordable luxury.”

The 22-year-old is more than halfway to reaching his £2,000 fundraising target.

Most adults in Burkina Faso have received an average of just one year's schooling and more than 110,000 people are living with HIV.

Mr Asiedu wants the books to help children learn about basic healthcare and how to protect themselves against malaria and HIV / AIDS – as well as enjoying the benefits of reading for fun and for their schoolwork.

The library has no budget and relies on volunteers who are both international and local.

All donations received will be spent directly on buying books.

For further information about the project or to make a donation to the community library, click here.